2022 Voter Guide: David Sgambellone, candidate for Anne Arundel County Council District 2

Why are you running for office?

I've been interested in politics for a long time. What I've realized is we are heading the wrong direction and have been for a long time. The two major parties are failing us. No matter which one is is office we always get bigger government and more spending. We need to reverse that trend. I decided to run for office myself because there is no one worth following. So now instead of being an just an arm chair philosopher I am here to have conversations with people and bring innovative and real solutions to the problems our our county.

What do you see as the most pressing issue the county faces and how would you address it?

There is nothing that we can do that will do more for the families of Anne Arundel county than to further school choice programs. The government school system is much less efficient and effective than the private sector counterparts. Education is the key to individual success, and the ability to choose the education that best meets your children's needs is the key to education. Currently school choice is only available to the elite; it needs to be extended to everyone, including historically disadvantaged communities. This will provide higher quality and individualized curriculum though competition and allow parents to choose the school that suits their children best. Teachers will also benefit from the ability to choose the type of school at which they teach as schools compete for the best teachers. This choice will encourage innovations as successful schools will get more business and unsuccessful ones will go out of business.

Will you invest in projects to unclog the county's crowded roads?

Maintaining the roads is the responsibility of the county and need to be maintained. Where necessary roads may need to be widened or new ones built, but there are other measures the county can take to reduce the stress of traffic those roads. For example relaxing zoning restrictions to allow more mixed zoning so that people are not all together driving to one place during the day and another place in the evening. This will reduce the congestion by spreading people out more.

What plans do you have to help the county and its businesses successfully emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?

What we need to do to get us and our businesses past the pandemic is to allow people to make choices for themselves on their needs and safety. When making decisions on personal safety everybody's situation is different and nobody is better able to measure risks than the person taking those risks. The one size fits all solutions that came down in the from of mandates did little for safely and were disastrous for the economy. It was especially hard on small businesses who were forced to shut down while their larger competitors who can afford lobbyists where allowed to remain operating. Any business can require whatever safety measures they wish, including masks, and people can choose their exposure based on which businesses they choose frequent. The sooner we stop trying to direct people's personal choices the sooner we will all get back on our feet.

What steps should the county government take to address opioid overdoses and deaths?

Victimless crimes such as drug use have no place in our legal system. All it does is turn millions of non-violent citizens into de facto criminals. Legalizing drugs would dramatically reduce the number of overdoses because people addicted to drugs will be able to seek help openly. Legalization will also reduce other crime as it will deny cartels a source of income and the police will be able to focus on violent crime. Some people will hurt themselves and even die using drugs, but this is not preventable, certainly not by declaring the war on drugs. Freedom includes the freedom to make bad choices. It has to or else we're not really free.

What role can the county government play to improve education in county schools?

I addressed this above under the most pressing issue, but the is a lot to . School choice will dramatically improve our children's education by creating a market place of ideas where parents can find the school that meets their kids needs the best. Effective schools will expand and do well and, importantly, ineffective schools will go out of business. This will make the schools much more responsive to the needs of the parents and children, including special needs children who will be able to attend schools that specialize in their care. The public schools method of all requiring all schools to meet every need is impractical and prevents the advantages of specialization.

What efforts does the county need to make to address systemic racism in government services?

Every person need to be equal before the law. This is an important role of government and will be a priority of mine when in office. Government officials need to be held accountable when they violate the law or give preferential treatment to specific groups. To further this end I testified for and was in support of the Police Accountability review board that Mrs. Pickard voted against.

What steps must the county take to improve public safety?

As referenced earlier one of the best ways to improve public safety is to legalize drugs, or at least decriminalize them at the county level. This will free up our police force to focus on more important crimes, and it will eliminate a lot of crime as the source of income for the gangs and cartels would go away. The other main way to improve public safety is to allow people to defend themselves. Concealed carry is a state issue but there are a lot of county gun control laws that do nothing for safety while making it a lot harder for people to exercise their second amendment rights.

How is climate change impacting the county and what can be done locally to address the effects?

Climate change and pollution are problems we are facing, the biggest concern in our area being the Chesapeake bay. But government is not the solution to this problem. The government, not only has a bad track record of protecting public land, it's been unaccountable for its environmental damages throughout history. The best way to protect the ecosystems and environment is through competitive property rights and free markets. Conservation groups and private landowners have a desire to maintain natural resources and will do so if given the opportunity. The only role government needs to play is protecting property rights, as polluting land is a violation of property rights.